Keepsakes

My cupcake dreams have been answered

November 18, 2009 by Sharon Garofalow 3 Comments

I came across this blog called The Cupcake Activist recently. This is a girl after my own heart. To say she enjoys cupcakes would probably be an understatement. If you look at her blog, you will see that she has visited a ton of shops and taken the time to review a bunch of them for you. I have not gotten through all her reviews as of yet, but it will certainly help me map out a birthday cupcake crawl (similar to a bar crawl but we’ll still be able to drive).

She is holding a giveaway for The Cupcake Tower, of which I had never seen before. It is awesome. I am in love with it and want one. I’m not going to lie, I get more points in the giveaway if I blog about it. But I also wanted to make sure that all of you knew about this stand. There are four sizes to choose from and different ribbon kits to finish off the stand. Prices range from $34 to $160 and these stands will last for years to come. My dad created the cupcake stand for my wedding in 2003 and we had little to go from at the time. If only I had had the foresight to utilitze his amazing woodworking skills we would have been left with an heirloom instead of the styrophoam monster that was finally laid to rest after it’s 4th move with us. Check out their gallery to see all kinds of inspiring ideas. And be sure to read The Cupcake Activist, not only for the giveaways and reviews, but for the yummy recipes she posts as well!!!!!

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Photos via The Cupcake Tower

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Centerpieces, Custom, Favors, Keepsakes, Party Decor, Party Food, Resources, Tableware

Oh Snap!

November 10, 2009 by Sharon Garofalow 1 Comment

Okay, so I love hosting parties and I love taking photos but sometimes the two don’t mix. I mean, you slave away for months making sure that every detail of the party is right but then you don’t get any pictures of them because you are too busy being the best hostess. Or, you get your detail shots, but dangit, no pictures of the guests. I just about flipped when I saw a blurb on the Sony Party-Shot Automatic Photographer. “What the f is it?” you ask. Well, let me tell you. It’s genius is what it is. It’s a camera dock that takes party photos for you. It can turn 360 degrees and tilt up and down to get the party photos you don’t have time to take yourself. With face recognition abilities, it tracks for faces to frame shots and takes candid photos that would make for a great memory book addition. Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! I want one so bad. While my husband thinks our three year old could probably take better party photos then this contraption, I totally disagree. While our son excels at taking photos of his own eye, the technology put in to this little machine is for sure amazing. It is compatible with several Sony cameras but seems to be kind of difficult to find in stock online. The price is a relatively cheap $150, but the memories it will capture for you? Priceless. (I know, the “priceless” bit is so overdone but it totally fit!) Check out the video on the Sony site to see just how it works.

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First photo via Amazon

Second photo via Sony

Filed Under: Party Planning Tagged With: Keepsakes, Resources

Keep the party alive in pictures

September 3, 2009 by Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

How do you capture the party?

I am in total photo mode right now. I just learned how to use photoshop actions!!! What the heck are those, you ask. They are perfect, artsy photos at the click of a button. Some photographer has taken the time to automate some of their favorite photo looks so that you can get the same effect without all the trial and error. That is totally how I roll. Just do it for me. Then I’m happy. So, I played around with it a bit during nap time today and can’t wait to use it on my photos. But it got me thinking. We spend so much time putting a fabulous party together and most of the time we run out of time to take photos of all our details but also the party guests. I’m getting better at it. The best way for me to handle this is to ask someone else to get some shots so that I can stay in hostess mode. But since that person may or may not know who the party people are, you could end up with photos of some one’s guest who no one knows or only pictures of the kids. As a reader of Photojojo, I thought I would look in to what ideas they have for party photos. Take a look here. None of them are very time consuming or expensive, but I bet you will end up with some amazing shots…Now, I am going to make every photo I have ever taken look like it’s from the seventies, with just one button. I’m probably going to regret that in the morning.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Keepsakes, Party Ideas, Resources

Photo Garland (coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, no puns today)

May 14, 2009 by Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

I have had a lot of opportunity lately to take photographs. Sometimes it is really hard for me to pick up my camera and shoot with two kids under foot. I’m going to be honest, I have way fewer photos of M then of my first child, O. Often, it is just me and I don’t have a spotter for M when I’m trying to prop him up in silly poses. O is so over having his picture taken that I now have a series of his blurry back. And have I remembered to put the camera up high enough? O seems to really enjoy taking photos and seems to know that his Fisher Price digital camera simply doesn’t compare to my Nikon. So I have been really excited with all the parties we have been having that allow me to pawn the kids off on a relative and leave me free to roam. And I have also found, that as M is starting to hold himself up more, I can get photos other then him just lying on a blanket. I am currently sorting through hundreds and hundreds of the digital photos we have taken since M’s arrival in December and am trying to figure out how to display them. I found this great photo garland over on Decor8 this morning. I love that it incorporates fabric and larger photos then most other photo garlands. I think this would make amazing party decor for all kinds of party. What a great way to showcase photos from your babies first year. Or to celebrate a couple’s courtship at a bridal shower or anniversary party. The fabric is so much warmer then cardstock and I love the sunny print they chose in this version. I think I will give this a try in our bedroom.

Here are other examples of photo garland: Martha Stewart, Party Perfect, and Celebrations.com.

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(bottom photo is one of my favorites of M, just had to share)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Custom, Keepsakes, Party Decor, Party Ideas, Personalized

I’ve never FELT this way before

May 7, 2009 by Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

I am so not in to the cutesy stuff. I like crafty things, but they can’t be too overdone or fussy. For example, party hats. Of course, for little girls, over the top and frilly is fine, once in a while. But sometimes their are so many sparkles and feathers and pink and sequins that it sort of looks like all of the Disney fairies threw up on their head all at one time. Similarly for boys, if their party hat has too much foof (that is totally a word by the way) – well, I’m just going to say it – I think they look like sissys (I have never had to pluralize that before, it doesn’t look right…). When I saw these hats by Cakies, I felt in love – get it (cause the hats are made from felt). They are totally cute but look modern and a bit unfinished (which they may not like me calling them, but I think of it as a good thing – you know not OVER done). I love that they are themey without being overwhelming. I love the colors. I love the shapes. I love the price ($36). This is totally one of those items that you could reuse over and over for special occasions or add to their dress up kits. I do not love dressing my kids up for parties. But I do love the idea of throwing on jeans, a white tshirt and the superhero crown for a super hero party. Totally cool and the kid will be way in to it. Check them out and purchase through their Etsy site. I didn’t read all the fine print, but I imagine if you asked really nicely, you may be able to get her to work out a custom crown for you…and don’t forget to check out all the other super cute hair clips.